Florida school may target parents with new twist on school dress codes

Wednesday

Apr 16, 2014 at 6:24 PM

A Florida school board member has had enough of parents dropping kids off and picking them up in the clothing that the kids themselves would not be allowed to wear to school.

Eric Schulzke

Dress codes have been making a stir nationally, with much of the attention focused on female students and the fashion craze of yoga pants or leggings, but now a school board member in Florida wants to tackle the root of the problem, going after parents dropping kids off and picking them up in the clothing that the kids themselves would not be allowed to wear to school.
"Rosalind Osgood," reports the Sun Sentinel, "says she sees way too many parents show up at schools in pajamas, hair curlers and pants that fall below the waist and exposed underwear.
According to the Sentinel report, the principal at Boyd Anderson High in Lauderdale Lakes gives students with saggy pants a belt to wear.
"But we have dads showing up in sagging pants," Osgood said during a School Board discussion this week, according to the Sentinel. "It's hard for me to tell a child not to show up for school with hair curlers, pajamas or short shorts if they see parents wearing them. Parents need to lead by example."
Mama Sass, a blogger for the Miami Herald, was not amused.
"With all the big issues plaguing public schools these days - high poverty rates, language barriers, classroom crowding, guns - there should be bigger concerns than parents in their PJs in school drop-off lines."
"Schools have dress codes for students because they spend the entire day there. My fuzzy bunny slippers will not interfere with their learning," she added.
Broward County Schools has a dress code for students, which states that "all trousers, including oversized or low-hanging trousers, must be worn and secured at waist level. Other clothing not allowed are: leggings without overblouses (long shirts) that reach mid-thigh, tights, bodysuits, or hosiery, including those with lace trim, and bicycle racing attire unless they are worn underneath dresses, skirts, or shorts of appropriate length.
"If a student is caught not following this rule, they will be required to attend Saturday school," the code states. "Additionally, a parent must accompany that student to school to meet with his/her administrator before the student may return to school."
If Osgood has her way, the parent would also have to be dressed properly for the meeting.%3Cimg%20src%3D%22http%3A//beacon.deseretconnect.com/beacon.gif%3Fcid%3D162525%26pid%3D46%22%20/%3E